You may not know it, but a team of youngsters from California is the winningest junior team in the history of the National Matches at Camp Perry. Despite California’s tough gun laws, the young shooters on the California Grizzlies Rifle Team have managed to rack up impressive victories in competition, achieving excellence season after season.

Help Support the California Grizzlies Junior Rifle Team
Right now the California Grizzlies are seeking donations to support their effort to attend the 2016 National Matches at Camp Perry. You can make a secure PayPal donation through the Grizzlies’ website, www.TeamGrizzlies.org.

The California Grizzlies squad has always excelled — it remains the only junior team to ever win the Infantry Trophy (NTIT) at the NRA National Championships. In 2009, Team Grizzlies O’Connell shot a 1284 to win the NTIT, becoming the first junior team to ever win the event and the first civilian team to win in 79 years. In 2013, the Grizzlies again shot superbly, winning not only the High Junior Title, but the Civilian Title as well. In fact, in 2013, the young Grizzlies squad beat ALL the adult teams except the powerhouse U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Team.

Here is the 2009 Grizzlies Squad that won the NTIT outright, beating ALL other teams.

Watch the Grizzlies in Action, Training for the Nationals
This video was filmed in 2010 during a week-long training clinic held at the Coalinga range in central California. During the clinic, Grizzlies members honed their position shooting skills. We wish these boys and girls good luck in their quest for another team victory at Camp Perry.

What brands are favored by gun guys? Well here are the results of 2015 consumer surveys conducted by Southwick Associates. The surveys asked hunters and shooters to indicate their favorite brands for hunting and shooting product categories. This “Top Brand” list was compiled from 2015 internet-based surveys conducted through HunterSurvey.com and ShooterSurvey.com websites.

In 2015, most frequently purchased brands included:

Top reloading powder brand: Hodgdon

Top reloading bullet brand: Hornady

Top reloading primer brand: CCI

Top rifle ammunition brand: Federal

Top handgun ammunition brand: Winchester

Top shotgun ammunition brand: Winchester

Top blackpowder brand: Pyrodex

Top scopes brand: Leupold

Top binoculars brand: Bushnell

Top GPS device brand: Garmin

Top trail camera brand: Moultrie

Top muzzleloader brand: CVA

Top knife brand: Buck

Top holster/ammo belt brand: Blackhawk

The list above is only a fraction of all hunting and shooting categories tracked by Southwick Associates. Along with many other product categories, Southwick Associates also tracks the percentage of sales occurring across different retail channels, total spending per category, average prices, and demographics for hunters and shooters buying specific products. Additional information tracked includes total days spent hunting and shooting, type of hunting, preferred species and where they go.

Information for many other product categories is available from Southwick Associates, a market research firm specializing in the hunting, shooting, sport=fishing, and outdoor recreation markets. Additional details available include total consumer spending by category, breakouts for caliber and gauge, type of retailer, average retail prices, customer demographics, and more.